Another fresh new year
is here . . .
Another year to live!
To banish worry, doubt, and fear,
To love and laugh and give!
~William Arthur Ward

Happy
New Year!

I
hope the holiday season found you surrounded by those you love and those who
love you. It’s hard to believe another year has passed but each New Year
brings with it the opportunity for a fresh start, new goals and endless possibilities.

Last night I was blessed to participate in New
Bedford’s AHA New Year’s
Eve celebration. As always, the audiences were delightful and eager to listen to
winter tales told (not read) from around the world. This year was extra special as one of my fourth grade storytelling students and her family were in the audience for the second show. This is my third year
participating in this amazing event; it is always a fun and delightful way to
ring in the New Year! Afterwards, a late dinner with my family and grandson, just two months old, to ring in his very first New Year; a perfect ending to the old and beginning of the new!

I already have plans to attend the LANES
Northeast Storytelling Conference in Maine in April where I will present my
workshop, Story by Story: Building a School Storytelling Troupe. This is always
a wonderful conference, with something for everyone, whether you are a storyteller,
librarian, educators, etc. If you are experienced in your field, or
just beginning, join us for a weekend of learning, laughter, camaraderie and
stories!

In
August, I will make my way to Virginia for the National Storytelling Network’sConference.
This is another wonderful opportunity to network with friends old and new,
learn something fresh and fun, and come away rejuvenated and inspired. I hope
you can join me at either conference, or better yet, both!

As always, I appreciate
your time. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions please drop me a
note atstorybug@aol.com; I love to hear from you!

What is greater than GodWorse than the Devil?The poor have it.The rich need it.If you eat it or drink it, you will
die.

You will find the answer
hidden somewhere in this newsletter.

I started thinking about different riddle stories and lo and behold,
when I was searching for new ideas for this newsletter I found that January 29
is National Puzzle Day! So of course I had to find some riddle stories to share.

"The thing about a story is that you dream it as you tell it, hoping that others might then dream along with you, and in this way memory and imagination combine to make spirits in the head."

Lions,
Dragons, and Nian: Animals of the Chinese New Year - Wonderfully
inclusive lesson plan on the Chinese Spring Festival and eastern and western
dragons associated with the Chinese New Year. Offered by the National Endowment
for the Humanities.http://tinyurl.com/6szu7n

Below
are two previous blog posts on the Chinese New Year, the Year of the Tiger and
the Year of the Rabbit, respectively. There are additional curriculum and
crafts, which will be useful this year as well.

Snip, Snap, Snute by Lise
Lunge-Larsen and the Children’s Literature Network– This blog is a bit different than those
I usually highlight but you will find a plethora of reviews on books grouped by
specific themes. Teachers, storytellers, librarians and parents should
definitely bookmark this blog.

Remember, if you are seeking stories, curriculum, etc., for other
special days or events don’t forget to search the newsletter archives. A Google
search box is available on the main newsletter site at http://storybugnewsletter.blogspot.com.I also add stories, crafts and education resources on my blog as
well, which also offers a Google search box. You may find my blog here:http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/.

GUEST BLOGGER
ARTICLES

A Rising Tide – Guest Blogger’s Share Their Expertise

It is with great appreciation and admiration I offer you the links
to the current Guest Blogger articles from my storytelling and business
colleagues in the USA and beyond. I will continue to add more as they are
published.

Untiny.me

You may notice that many of the URL’s in my newsletter begin with http://tinyurl.com. This service turns very long web addresses into shorter ones. Untiny.me retrieves the original so you will be able to access it if it is blocked by your server. http://untiny.me/

About Catch the Storybug Newsletter

This monthly or bi-monthly newsletter is researched and written by Karen Chace, Professional Storyteller, Author, Web Researcher, Workshop Leader, Storytelling Teacher and Story Coach.